If only we could port Amiga OS

[adolescent]

GreggBz wrote:
I'm looking at the power the DS here, is certainly capable enough to compete with the more robust and twice as expensive PDA's that are currently on the market.

The Nintendo DS's 66MHz ARM9 can not compare to the latest (even low end) Intel XScale (PXA) processors.  It's a good game system, but it lacks features that all other PDAs have (ie. local storage, large amounts of RAM, and expansion capabilities).  Porting a micro kernel unix is completely different than a graphical multitasking OS.  

[adolescent]

@BigBenAussie

I'm going to have to agree with KennyR on this one, and maybe take it a bit further.  The AmigaOne is a joke.  Eyetech's marketing strategy seems to be to raise prices and lower specs, all the while not addressing bugs in their current designs.  Also, holding out for an OS that was promised years ago, and has only recently seen the public light as a test version, to run on outdated/overpriced/underperforming hardware is crazy.  By the time OS4 does get released the majority of people waiting for it will have moved on.  A G3 probably could have sold in 2000, but it's just been too long.    

[adolescent]

SamuraiCrow wrote:
The G3s they made back then were clocked a lot slower and had a lot smaller cache.  A moder PPC750 series processor does quite well.  Also the AmigaOne has an upgradable processor socket so when the 750VX (with Altivec) is released AmigaOne will be waiting for it.  

A good point, but the PPC750 is hardly a new design and has been available in AmigaOne speeds for some time (2000?).  And, yet another "when it's released...".  

If you're referring to the hard drive controller bug:  That can be remedied by adding a hard-drive controller card or wait for the imminent fix that Eyetech is working on.

So, instead of standing behind their product and fixing a well known bug the end user is responsible for buying additional hardware, or just wait some more and hope they eventually fix it.  It's been 2 over years already.    

If you're referring to the MicroA1 having low specs compared to a full-sized desktop then why don't you look at Via's Epia series mini-itx motherboards.  You just can't fit much onto a mini-itx board nowadays.  

I've priced the EPIA motherboards and they are in general hundreds of dollars cheaper (the top of the line EPIA with a decent processor would be about 2/3 the cost of a MicroA1) and are available with modern features like firewire, USB 2.0, faster RAM, faster IDE, etc.

Besides mini-itx motherboards are geared toward the embedded market, not the desktop market.  They use G3 processors becuase they are 8 watt wonders.

Then why is Eyetech marketing them to consumers?  Is this another amazing decision by the Eyetech marketing department?  

[adolescent]

KimmoK wrote:
"The AmigaOne is a joke."

No more than Peg1 or even Peg2.

AmigaOne is especially good as a hobby (anything can be good as a hobby).

Ok, I'll agree with that.  Maybe I should have said "ALL next generation Amigas are jokes".

How? mA1c is cheaper than A1XE and others.

And it's good that AOS4 is not tied to Eyetech or MAI.

The price difference is negligable true.  But the fact that the "new" system is now using year 2000 specs doesn't make sense.  Computer hardware goes down in price, not up.  The feature set of the micro and lack of expansion is much less than the A1XE, and couple that with having to buy the OS seperately.  The only thing the micro has going for it is it's form factor.

"all the while not addressing bugs in their current designs."

Eyetech has arranged new revisions of motherboard to address HW bugs, just like Genesi.

(only their guarrantee system sucks) :-(

A new revision, or a user funded fix doesn't really help the hundreds of users that have existing boards.  Any real company would have issued a recall, halted production, and offered a real fix.  Eyetech in large have ignored the problem.  If anything, they could at least send out a $20 IDE card to all registered owners to show they have at least an itsy bitsy amount of customer service.  

"Also, holding out for an OS that was promised years ago, and has only recently seen the public light as a test version,"

Now there is a concrete progress and usable and stable version @ the hands of (pioneer)users and developers.

Public version is more of a developer version than BETATESTER version. (betatesting is done internally)

Yes.  I've seen it, but it still doesn't help that there is no release date set.  

"to run on outdated/overpriced/underperforming hardware is crazy."

Is there a better realistic alternative somewhere ??

See "joke" comment above.  

"By the time OS4 does get released the majority of people waiting for it will have moved on."

Nothing new since year 2001, right?
I see a lot of people asking for it. (some also on non-amiga forums)

Are these messages from AmigaOne owners wanting to finally use their computers?  :-)

"A G3 probably could have sold in 2000, but it's just been too long."

Depends on the target audience and target use.

There are PPC variants suitable for:
- PDAs and "communicator" phones
- laptops
- desktops
- servers
- supercomputers

Surely mA1i is good if not ideal for a lot of embedded devices (kiosks, players, etc)

More of the same "coming soon", "when it's released", etc.  And, I don't want a kiosk, I want a computer.  

But also I would like to see 1.4Ghz G4 option for mA1C.

I'd be happy with an XC-G4 at 1.4GHz.  But, again see above.

[adolescent]

SamuraiCrow wrote:
...smaller processor cache

While that's true, cache size is not the only factor in a processors performance.  For instance, you can get a P4 based mini-itx system that will outperform the PPC750FX/GX with half the L2 cache.

memory not included

Bad argument.  Not being forced to buy, and probably later throw away, Eyetech's overpriced 256M SODIMM is a good thing.

bloated os

Full featured OS?  If you don't like Windows, then take your pick from the various Linux distributions.  While they're generally filled with software, its the installers choice.  And, since Eyetech provides this same Linux, you could say that the mA1 has a bloated OS also.

BTW The uA1-I model HAS firewire and a faster IDE.

No CPU upgrade, still no USB2.0.  But, since it hasn't been released, I'll withhold judgement.